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- 1 hours ago
The next Jude Bellingham? Real Madrid send top man on vital scouring mission
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 4 Sept 2025 08:36 BST
- 4 min read
News
Real Madrid have bought some of the world’s finest young players in recent years and are ready to go down that track again as they seek the next Jude Bellingham.
Franco Mastantuono was signed this summer from River Plate following his 18th birthday; Endrick was similarly added to Los Blancos’ ranks a year ago and Arda Guler was snapped up in 2023.
Now AZ youngster Kees Smit has emerged as a target for Xabi Alonso’s side in 2026, with Real Madrid sending chief scout Juni Calafat to assess the 19-year-old AZ midfielder, according to Real Madrid Confidencial.
Current ETV
Kees Smit
M, DM, AM (C)
AZ
Kees Smit
M, DM, AM (C)
AZ
ETV Range
€5.6M - €7.6M
Smit is a player with a rapidly growing reputation. He has already featured on 40 occasions for AZ’s first team and has been an ever-present for the Alkmaar side across their 12 matches in all competitions this term.
He has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €6.6m, but this is liable to increase should he continue to win plaudits at his current rate.
How good is Kees Smit?
Smit is a central midfield player who is versatile enough to play either as a No.8 or a No.6.
Data analytics firm SciSports compare him favourably in style to Bellingham. The 22-year-old Englishman has excelled since moving to Real Madrid for €113 million in 2023.
Smit has primarily played a slightly more defensive role in his senior career than Bellingham and offers less of an obvious impact offensively than the former Dortmund star. He has, after all, just two goals and four assists to his credit in senior football.
But it’s a role he could fulfil in the future. With AZ’s U21 side, he has 10 goals and nine assists in 46 games – a goal contribution on virtually every second appearance.
In the short term, Real Madrid may look at Smit as a replacement for Dani Ceballos, whose long-term future at the Bernabeu is under doubt after he came close to moving to Marseille in the summer.
The fact that Alonso has sent Calafat to watch the young Dutchman indicates that Real Madrid are serious about him – now it’s up to the teenager to prove he can be the next big thing with Los Blancos.
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